At the heart of medical radioactivity

About the course

After a brief introduction on the physical basis of radioactivity, the MOOC "at the heart of medical radioactivity", will present in different stages the interest of medical radioactivity, from the design of a radiopharmaceutical to its use in the patient. The public objective of this MOOC is to demonstrate the medical use of radioactivity and its modalities.

Format

This course lasts 6 weeks (including an introductory week) and is divided into 24 sequences. Each week 2 to 6 thematic sequences will be discussed. The sequences will be presented in the form of videos, and participants will have access to additional documents to better understand or deepen understanding of certain concepts. Participants will also have suggestions for additional lessons or videos to view (outside the FUN platform).

Prerequisites

Consumer Scientific MOOC: There are no mandatory prerequisites to using and understanding this MOOC. Nevertheless, a high school level of scientific understanding will make it easier to understand some technical concepts discussed in the courses, especially in the advanced levels of knowledge presented.

Teachers

Caroline Bodet-Milin

Caroline Bodet-Milin is a physician in the nuclear medicine department of the University Hospital of Nantes and on the PETSCAN platform of IRCNA. She is also a senior lecturer in biophysics-nuclear medicine and a researcher in the nuclear oncology group of INSERM UMR 1232 unit, and studies radioimmunotherapy and phenotypic imaging in nuclear medicine.

Mickaël Bourgeois

Mickaël Bourgeois is a radiopharmacist at Nantes University Hospital and the ARRONAX cyclotron. He is also a lecturer in biophysics and a researcher in the nuclear oncology group of the INSERM UMR 1232 unit, and studies radioimmunotherapy and phenotypic imaging in nuclear medicine.

Course plan

Week 0 : Introduction to the MOOC

Ep#1: History of Nuclear Medicine

Ep#2: Medical use of ionizing radiation

Week 1 : What is Radioactivity?

Ep#1: Journey to the heart of matter

Ep#2: The Origins of Radioactivity

Ep#3: The Different Types of Radioactivity

Ep#4: Concepts in Radiobiology

Week 2 : Production of Radioactive Isotopes

Ep#1: Cyclotron production: The example of fluorine-18

Ep#2: Cyclotron production: The example of Astatine-211

Ep#3: The Neutron Reactor: Example of iodine-131 production

Ep#4: Generator production: Example of metastable Technetium-99

Week 3 : Radiopharmaceuticals: Definition and Mode of Action

Ep#1: What is a radiopharmaceutical?

Ep#2: How radiopharmaceuticals work: The concept of molecular targeting

Ep#5: Contribution of Nuclear Medicine in the management of breast cancer

Ep#6: Use of ionizing radiation in external radiotherapy

Week 5 : Radioprotection

Ep#1: Radiation protection: Regulatory framework and theoretical data

Ep#2: Practical radiation protection

Ep#3: Perception of radioactivity, theoretical data

Ep#4: The hospitalization experience in a shielded room of patients with thyroid cancer treated with iodine-131

Evaluation

In order to estimate the participants' understanding of the contents of thematic sequences, quizzes in the form of multiple choice questions will be carried out at the end of each sequence. A successful follow-up certificate may be issued at the end of the MOOC depending on the results of the quizzes.

Partners

Agence Nationale de la Recherche

LABEX IRON

CHU de Nantes

Conditions of use

Terms of use of the course

Restrictive license

The contents of the MOOC can not be reused outside the FUN platform without the explicit agreement of the University of Nantes.

Terms of use for content produced by users

Restrictive license

The production of the MOOC can not be reused outside the FUN platform without the explicit agreement of their authors